Relapse
by MawrisaLovesSasuSaku
Summary: After Sasuke left, Sakura started training harder. After Naruto left and Kakashi rejoined ANBU, Sakura threw herself into training, nonstop. Now head of the hospital and strongest kunoichi, she faces her biggest challenge yet: Getting Sasuke Uchiha back.
1. Chapter 1

Yeah! The sequel is here(: I decided on Relapse, I don't know why, I just like that xD Alright, um, well I suppose I have nothing to rant about now. Sooo...

Disclaimer: I still don't own Naruto :( You'd think after all the stuff I forced my mom to buy about Naruto, that Masashi Kishimoto would be generous and let me borrow it for, I don't know, a week?!

**Chapter 1**

"Sai!"

Sakura Haruno, Hokage's apprentice, surpassing her within two years of training, and head of the hospital, was currently running towards ANBU ROOT member Sai.

"What are you really after?!" She grabbed his collar. "You were using us! What were you--"

"Sakura." Sakura froze. She brought her hand down and Sai fell to the floor. She slowly turned around.

"Sasuke-kun..." She whispered, not even sure if Sasuke could hear her. For a second she felt relief, which quickly turned into anger. "Sasuke!" She glared at him with such hatred that it would have made Itachi proud. She raced towards him, raising her fist and pumping chakra into her legs. Sasuke was still recovering from her glare and didn't have enough time to dodge her, so she hit him right in his pretty boy face. _He's lucky I didn't use any chakra! Cha! _Sasuke flew into a tree about ten feet away from where he was standing. He was just getting up when she was talking again.

"Seems to me Orochimaru didn't teach you anything, you couldn't even dodge my punch. That punch had no chakra either." She smirked when he froze at her words for a second before regaining his composure.

"Hn." He wasn't going to allow her to rile him up. _I flew ten feet into a tree by a punch with no chakra! By the weakest, most annoying person in the world!?_

"I know what your probably thinking Sasuke-_kun._" She mocked. "That me, weak little Sakura Haruno, could actually land a hit on you, Sasuke Uchiha. Well, unlike you, I worked for this strength. You took the easy way out, and it didn't seem to make a difference." Sakura knew that he probably did do some hardcore training, but she didn't want to miss an oppurtunity to ruffle his feathers.

"Tch. Still annoying."

"Maybe. But that won't bother me anymore."

"Hn." Just then Naruto and Yamato came running out. Sakura jumped down and ran to them.

"Naruto-kun, Sai found Sasuke!" She pointed to where Sasuke was standing ontop of the crater. Naruto looked shocked of course.

"Sasuke...Sasuke! After what you've done to Saku--"

"Naruto! I told you never to bring that up again!" She shouted furiously. Naruto looked at her with pity in his eyes.

"But Sakura-chan..."

"I don't want your fucking pity Naruto! Everything I've been through just makes me stronger! I'm proud of it, and I have no regrets." Naruto sighed and nodded. Then he turned back and glared at Sasuke.

"I'm bringing you back Sasuke! And when I do we'll spar so I can pound your face in then Sakura-chan, Kakashi-sensei, you, and I will have ramen and be a team again!" He yelled, determination radiating off him. Sasuke sighed.

"Naruto, when are you going to give up on your childish dreams? I'm not going back to that pathetic excuse for a village." He sneered.

"But, we were friends, best friends! Brothers!" Naruto was trying to get some sense into that thick Uchiha head of his.

"My bonds that I once had with you are broken, we are no longer friends." He said monotone, as if he had been practicing saying it out loud so it was believable.

"If that's the way you feel, then why didn't you just kill me then!? At the valley!" Tears were gathering in Naruto's eyes, but he refused to let them fall. Sasuke chuckled slightly.

"I simply spared your life on a whim, but now," He then jumped down and brought his sword out in the process. Sakura gasped. _He's so fast..._ She watched in horror as Naruto just stood there. "I'm going to break that bond permanently."

"Come to think of it, wasn't it your dream to become Hokage?" Sasuke asked.

"How am I supposed to become Hokage, if I can't even save my best friend?" Naruto asked, still frozen on the spot.

"Hn." He brought his sword down, ready to kill him. Sakura was trying really hard not to scream, but as soon as she saw his sword descending towards Naruto, she let it out.

"Sasuke!" He stopped mid-swing, her voice always had that power over him. And it always annoyed him to no end. He was going to ignore her, but decided to humor her instead.

"What are you doing!? If you kill Naruto, I'll kill you right now! I'm a medical ninja, I can give you a poison that will slowly destroy every organ in your body, I can break your bones one by one, and I can keep you awake through the whole thing! Then I'll heal you and do it all over again!" Sasuke did flinch this time, her tone of voice suggested that she would do that, and even Uchiha's have their limits.

"Hm, strong words, from someone so weak." He was waiting for the shouts he would recive about how she was way stronger, but to his surprise, they never came. Instead she laughed humorlessly.

"I really don't care if you still think I'm weak, it would just be your problem if you underestimated me." She stated, trying to distract him. And so far, it was working. Sasuke stepped away from Naruto to look Sakura straight in the eye. Again she surprised him by holding her own, and staring right back. While Sasuke was looking at her, he noticed how her eyes didn't have that sparkle that they had had in their younger days. They were blank, and Sasuke couldn't help but think how they didn't look right on her, she was supposed to be the happy one; the one with the perfect life, but now look at her.

"Sakura, stay out of this." Sakura snorted.

"Sasuke, do you honestly think I'm still that fangirl that used to fawn over you? I don't listen to traitors." She spat. Sasuke hide his shock at her words.

"Weren't you the one who made me promise that I would come back one day?" Sasuke never forgot that night, especially that promise. Sakura just stared at him.

"At the time I believed you would come back, that you would fufill that promise; but I was a stupid love sick twelve year old then, I still believed everyone had good in them. But after watching you walk away, then Naruto leaving, and Kakashi not even bothering with me -- now that his prize students were gone --, he rejoined ANBU; after all that, I gave up and just focused on myself. When Naruto came back, though, of course I was happy, and when Kakashi decided that now that Naruto was back, he would come back also, I was ecstatic. My boys were back -- well, with one missing. But at the same time, I knew that things would still be the same. So, even though Naruto and I are closer then ever and that Kakashi's finally paying attention to me, I would still be the one that they regarded as the weak one, the one that constantly needed protection. And that still hurts." Sasuke actually showed his shock this time. He didn't know that Naruto left, and that Kakashi rejoined ANBU and left her behind. And she said that all with absolutely no emotion, he knew that this was not the girl he left behind.

This was a girl that had seen the carnage of war, who probably killed -- and healed -- too many people to be innocent at all. Hell! She probably even went on seduction missions already! Though Sasuke didn't want to think about, because of this undeniable rage he felt when he did. And that upset him. Sakura was supposed to be innocent, the one the glued them all together. But everyone grows up eventually.

Naruto looked at her with sad eyes. He knew that when he left it would hurt her, but he had no choice. He at least thought Kakashi-sensei would be there for her, but they all left her. They all abandon her. Naruto felt an irresistible urge to hug her, but knew she would push him off, saying that she didn't need his pity.

"So Sasuke, are you going to come quietly or," she pulled out her gloves from her pouch and put them on, "are we going to have to force you?" She was giving him a choice, at least. _More then that bastard deserves. _Some part of her mind whispered.

"Hn, give it up." Sakura smirked, she was hoping for that. "Alright, you had a choice!" She charged at him again, but this time Sasuke was prepared and dodged her punch with ease. Sakura then proceeded to take out three kunai from her holester and throw them at Sasuke with deadly accurasy. _That training with Tenten sure did help. _

Again Sasuke dodged. He took out his katana and ran at her. Sakura anticapated this and jumped up as he swung his sword at her. Sasuke reacted quickly and thrust his sword up. Sakura used a shadow clone to pull herself out of the way and while Sasuke choped the clone in half, punched him in the stomach. He flew but jumped in the air and landed gracfully on his feet.

"Enough Sasuke-kun." A voice hissed out. They all reconized this sickly sweet voice instantly. "Orochimaru." Sakura growled.

"Ah, dear Sakura-chan. Seems like you've gotten stronger. You'd be perfect for Sasuke-kun, imagine the skill your child would have." Sasuke seemed embarrassed by this and quickly turned his head in the opposite direction to hide his blush. Sakura, however, looked even more disgusted. "Fuck you!"

"Such unlady like words, Sakura-chan. It looks like you've not only gotten my dear friend Tsunade's strength, but her temper also." He grinned, replusing Sakura. "She is no friends of yours." Orochimaru laughed.

"Maybe, oh well. Such a lose. Come on Sasuke-kun, let us go. Until next time Sakura-chan, Naruto-kun. Say hi to Tsunade for me will you?" And with that last request they vanished. Sakura screamed bloody murder and fell to the ground on her knees. "Why!? I was so close!" She repeated that over and over, while pounding on the ground creating a small crater to form under her. Tears pouring down her face. "After all the training, I still couldn't do anything!" Naruto ran over to her, while Sai and Yamato took their time.

"Sakura-chan it's okay! We'll get him next time!" Naruto was trying his hardest to cheer her up, but he couldn't deny the fact that he was extremely disappointed too.

"Sakura, Naruto," Yamato said as he walked over, "Come one, we have to report to the Hokage."

"Okay Yamato-sensei." Sakura wiped her tears with the back of her hand, and stood up with a new found determination. "Next time we'll get him!" Sakura shouted, Naruto cheered with her.

_Next time... Will there be a next time? _

* * *

Yeah! I finished(: Review please :D


	2. Chapter 2

Well, I always like to ramble on these things, but nowadays I have nothing to ramble about. Wait I have something! I am so horrible at Spanish -_-' I got a 62 on my test D: It sucks! I'd much rather learn Japanese, but nooooo! My school doesn't offer it.

Disclaimer: Naruto is not mine, I make no profit from this story. This is purely for my readers.

**Chapter 2**

"Do you have the report, Sakura?" Tsunade asked.

"Yes." She handed her the mission report. Naruto looked over to Sakura, knowing that she wasn't taking this well. The whole deal with Sasuke left her depressed, not that Naruto was any better off, but he was trying.

"Sakura-chan! Let's go get some ramen!" That was as good as it was going to get, ramen was Naruto's comfort food. Actually, it was his everything food.

"No thanks Naruto, I was going to grab a bite with Ino today," she left then, her eyes disturbingly void of emotions. Naruto looked at the spot she was standing last.

"Sakura-chan..."

"Give her time Naruto, a girl's night out would be good for her." Tsunade warned.

"If you're sure..." then he left also. Tsunade sighed, staring at her stack of paperwork. _I suppose its time to start this. Oh why did Shizune hid my sake? _

* * *

Sakura walked towards the little cafe where she would meet Ino. She wasn't looking forward to this, Ino always had a weird best friend radar thing, she knew when Sakura was sad. Just by being in the same room, she didn't even have to look at her. It scared Sakura to no end, and she was dreading this because of that.

Walking into the cafe, she looked around for her strange best friend. _Maybe I can leave without her knowing...?_

"Sakura! Over here!" _Dammit! So much for that plan. _She turned her head and saw Ino waving frantically at her, a grin on her face. Sakura tried to smile just as enthusiastically, but knew she failed when Ino's grin vanished, a frown in its place.

"Hey Pig," she greeted as she sat down on the opposite side of her. Ino gave her a suspicious look.

"Fore-Head, whats up?"

"Nothing much, just got back from that mission you know," she said casually, hoping Ino wouldn't try and find out what was troubling her.

"That's right, the mission," she paused, thoughtfully, "so, what happened? You know, during the mission?"

"What makes you think something happened?" _Damn it all! Am I that easy to read!? _

"Oh, I dunno, maybe the fact that you look like a zombie!" she said, a little louder then necessary.

"I do?" Sakura was playing it innocent, Ino summarized.

"Yes, you do. So, are you going to tell me why?" she pushed.

"Why what?" still playing it innocent.

"Why you look like a zombie!" she loudly said again. Just then the waiter came.

"What can I get you ladies?" _Perfect timing, maybe I can distract Ino. _

"I'll have some pocky* and hot chocolate! Or maybe purin*! Ino what do you think I should get?" Ino gave her a look.

"Whatever you like, Sakura-who-does-a-horrible-job-at-distracting-her-best-friend," she smirked at Sakura's horror-struck face.

"Fine, just tea than..." she grumbled, thinking of various escape plans.

"I'll have the same, thank-you." After the waiter left, Ino looked back at Sakura. She was trying to find her gaze, but Sakura kept avoiding her eyes.

"Sakura, come on, you can tell me anything," she encouraged. Sakura sighed.

"Ino, I don't want to talk about it," she whined. Ino glared at her.

"Bill-bored brow, you can't keep these things bottled up," _I'm not going to get out of, this am I?_

_**Doesn't look like it, I suggest you jumo out the window.**_

_Good idea, but I'm still saving up for that house, I don't need this on my tab..._

_**True, didn't think about that. Well, I guess we have no choice.**_

_Yeah, guess not._

"Well...," she began.

* * *

"Orochimaru, why have you interrupted my training?" a very irritated Sasuke demanded.

"Ah, Sasuke-kun," Sasuke mentally shuddered at his 'Sasuke-kun', "you have a a mission," Sasuke waited, but after a few minutes he decided that Orochimaru better tell him what his mission was or he'd chirdori his ass.

"Well!" he finally snapped. Orochimaru looked at him, then called Kabuto.

"Yes, Orochimaru-sama?" Kabuto came in, sporting that creepy smirk. It made Sasuke's skin crawl.

"Breif Sasuke-kun on his mission, would you?"

"Of course, Orochimaru-sama, follow me Sasuke-kun." he commanded and walked out of the room. Sasuke followed after, not because he actually followed orders, but because he was always eager for a new mission to get out of this Hell-hole.

He trailed behind Kabuto, wondering where the hell they were going. Sasuke was drifting into sweet day dreams about Itachi and blood - so much blood- when Kabuto suddenly stopped, and Sasuke was silently thanking his ninja senses for not bumping into him. He looked around, but had no idea where they were.

"Where are we?"

"We're in the lab," he answered, and Sasuke mentally shuddered again. The lab was the most vile thing ever, Sasuke may be a human ice cube, but he could not _torture_ innocent souls like this. It not only was cruel, but unnecessary. There was no need to kill people who had nothing to do with him.

"Why are we here?"

"So full of questions today, aren't we Sasuke-kun?" Sasuke glared.

"Just answer."

"We are here because you are to escort a failed experiment to another lab in Iwagakure*." he explained. Sasuke snorted.

"Why do I have to do it, can't you send someone else?" _I will not be reduced to such a lowly act as escorting, that's Gennin work. _

"Because, this is not a normal experiment. He has the curse seal yes, but its a newly developed curse seal. That is also why we are just sending him to another lab instead of just executing him," he explained, looking over names on a clip bored, most likely looking for this failed experiments place number.

"And because this is a new curse seal, many people might be after it. To develop their own." he continued, his eyes never roaming from the papers.

"Ah! Found him, let us go Sasuke-kun," he walked ahead again, leaving Sasuke to follow. Again.

"So, what does this new curse seal do, exactly?"

"It has all the same qualities of yours, but much more. With this you can read peoples strengths and weaknesses after just one move, actually, its pretty much like your Sharingan, Sasuke-kun. But it has more levels, on your second level, you get extreme power, but you lose yourself to your blood lust; with this curse seal, on the second level you get even more power than that and it is easier to control it." he summarized. Sasuke scowled, jealous.

"Hn." He alreay didn't like this guy.

"Ah, here we are, room 226." he unlocked the giant metal bars, and slowly opened it. Kabuto peered inside, almost as if he was hesitant.

"Leave me alone! Get out of here!" the person inside snarled.

"Juugo-san, Sasuke-kun is here to escort you to the lab we told you about." Kabuto said as calmly as he could, his voice quivering slightly. _He's afraid... _Sasuke thought in disgust.

"No! I'm dangerous! Leave me alone!" Sasuke just about had enough, so he shoved Kabuto aside and opened the door fully. A heavy set man with orange hair stared at him. Sasuke stared right back.

"Lets go, you're wasting my time." then he just walked out, expecting this 'Juugo' person to follow. Soon after he heard footsteps behind him and smirked. _Off to Iwagakure. _

* * *

Ino stared at Sakura with a horror-struck expression.

"Fore-head, you know what you need?" Sakura sighed.

"Ino-pig, I'm not in the mood for a shopping spree," Ino giggled.

"No, not that. A sleepover! We'll invite Hinata and Tenten!"

"Okay, that actually-" she was cut off by an ANBU appearing at their table.

"Sakura Haruno?" he asked.

"Yes."

"Hokage-sama has requested you at her office." with that said, he disappeared in a puff of smoke. Sakura looked over apologetically at Ino.

"Sorry pig, maybe some other time. Bye!" she rushed out of the cafe, knowing how Tsunade got without her sake when someone was late.

When she walked into the door, she was surprised to see Sai, Yamato, Naruto, and Kakashi there.

"Ah, Sakura. Thank-you for finally gracing us with your presence." she blushed and quickly headed toward the only available chair left. _I can't believe Kakashi was earlier than me. _

"Okay, I have called you all here for a very important, S-class, mission..."

* * *

Oh no! I left off with a cliffhanger! I'm gonna get yelled at! D:

*Iwagakure - Village Hidden Among The Rocks

*Pocky - Consists of a pretzel stick covered in chocolate.

*Purin - A custard like Japanese pudding.


	3. Chapter 3

**The moment you've all been waiting for is here! Chapter 3 of Relapse! It's incredible, how long it takes me. I'm sorry, but school and I've been sick and I'm trying to improve my writing skills, because the other chapters seem really rushed to me. So I tried to better myself and write a really good chapter. **

**On other Naruto related news... I am just so freakin' elated that Sasuke FINALLY killed off Karin! I'm so proud of him! Well, that means that now he's fully embraced his inner demons and is on the dark side, but I just can't help but be happy. **

**Disclaimer: I do not own Naruto nor do I make any profit from this story.**

**Chapter 3**

Sakura Haruno waited patiently for her mentor, Tsunade the fifth Hokage, to begin explaining their mission. It wasn't easy, Tsunade's dramatic pauses seemed to last ages instead of minutes. She was anxious and excited; her encounter with Sasuke and lunch with Ino had left her frazzled and she just wanted to _get the mission and get the hell out of here! _A clearing of throat pulled Sakura out of her mini pity party.

"This mission is _very _dangerous, you all will need to keep on your toes. Sakura, this goes especially for you." she added severely, her sharp eyes scanning the faces in front of her. When her eyes landed on Sakura, Sakura put on her blank facade, though Tsunade could see the hidden worry and curiosity in her eyes. She slowly nodded.

"But grandma Tsunade! Why for Sakura?!" Naruto bellowed from the other side of the room. Tsunade sent him a glare.

"Naruto! How many times do I have to tell you not to call me that?!" she snapped. Naruto instantly cowered and hid behind Kakashi, who didn't notice because of the orange trash in front of his face. Tsunade sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose, muttering something about Shizune taking her sake.

"It's not just dangerous for Sakura, it is for all of you. But Sakura is the one who has to go undercover as a spy." she stated. Naruto 'ohed' and nodded. Sakura was confused.

"Why am I the only one going undercover, Lady Tsunade?" she asked earnestly. Tsunade rested her light brown orbs on Sakura's green ones.

"Because I trust you. You will go undercover as a spy in one of Orochimaru's labs in Iwagakure. You must act as if you have finally come to your senses and have come to Orochimaru to gain more power. You will be expected to learn everything possible about their plans for Konoha. I've received information from some ANBU's that have been scouting that area that Orochimaru is planning to overthrow Konoha; while we do not know when this will happen - or if it is even true - I'm taking precautions. I want you to see if this information is correct or not." she explained. Sakura, still keeping her face blank, nodded mutely.

"So why are me, Sai, Yamato, and Kakashi-sensei going?!" Naruto demanded. She gave him a withering look.

"Because this is _Orochimaru _we're talking about. He's a sannin still, even though he's evil. And while right now I am doubting sending you because you can not shut your mouth and be stealthy, I'm trusting you too. You, along with Kakashi, Yamato, and Sai will be at different positions around the base; keeping an eye out for trouble if Sakura happens to get caught," she suddenly turned to look at Sakura again. "I'm warning you Sakura, I'm giving them permission to throw you over their shoulder and hightail it out of their at the slightest sign of danger, capish?" she warned.

"Capish," Sakura agreed. Tsunade smiled.

"Good. Now you will all meet at the the village gates in one hour and so help me Kakashi if you are one minute late I will personally castrate you!" she said. Kakashi gulped and absently reached down to protect his family jewels.

"Understood."

"Great, I don't not know how long this mission will be, so just pack the bare necessities."

**xXxSasuSakuxXx**

Ino was tearing up on her, and Sakura had to be at the gates in five minutes. She did not have time to comfort her friend.

"Ino, I'll be back. Don't worry. And I have to go in a couple minutes, so please just hug me and wish me luck," Ino nodded and a sob ripped through her as she threw her arms around Sakura. She sighed, now her shirt was tear stained. But she felt bad and hugged her dramatic best friend back.

"Shh, Ino. It's okay, I'll be back before you know it." she promised.

"O-okay," Ino said. Sakura pulled back and gave her a stern look.

"Ino, I have to go now. I'll see you in a couple months."

"Bye," and before Sakura could see Ino's face, she left.

Walking down the streets of Konoha, Sakura could not stop thinking about what would happen if she saw Sasuke at the lair. But this was not the time to think about this, she berated herself silently. But some part of her mind disagreed and told her that it _is _the time. Unfortunately for Sakura, that part happened to be the most dominant part.

_No, no. There are plenty other important things that need to be thought out. _She thought pathetically.

_**What other things are more important than Sasuke? **_Her inner asked.

_Things like if Orochimaru even accepts us in for power. _

_**Oh, c'mon! He knows we were trained by Tsunade! So he knows we're strong, duh.**_

_He also knows of our 'infatuation' with Sasuke._

_**Well, maybe he would figure he could use that to his advantage. **_

_What do you mean?_

_**I mean that he could end up with little Uchiha babies with the sharingan eye... **_Sakura gagged, and received strange looks from her teammates. She laughed nervously and coughed a little.

"So, um, ready to go?" they shrugged and nodded, beginning down the path. Sakura sighed, willing the mental images out of her head.

_That's gross. I don't even love Sasuke anymore, and he would never agree to that._

_**Sure, and pigs are flying. You know deep down that you love him, besides, love has no pretense. Either you love him, truly, or you never loved him to begin with. And with the other thing, well, he has to have some hormones in that hot bod. **_

Sakura chose to ignore that last part, but focused on the love part. Who knew her inner was so poetic? She knew that she once felt very strong feelings for Sasuke, and no infatuation would be that deep; so couldn't you love someone then fall out of love? Although her inner's thoughts about true love are romantic and sweet, Sakura couldn't bring herself to admit she still loved Sasuke, and she'd always ignored those little whispers that told her she did.

She groaned, causing her to receive odd looks again. She ignored this and trudged forward, ignoring her inner's ideas on how to jump Sasuke.

**xXxSasuSakuxXx**

Sasuke had actually enjoyed himself, or as close to enjoyed he can get. Juugo was a very calm, peaceful, smart person. He didn't bother Sasuke, and didn't feel the need to fill every silence with useless chatter. But when he did speak, Sasuke actually found himself waiting to hear what he had to say next. It was an odd feeling which Sasuke didn't like too much, perhaps he was just lonely and his natural human instincts sought out interactions with other human beings. Either way, they had reached their destination and Sasuke could just forget that had happen.

"Lord Sasuke, we have received information from Lord Orochimaru that you will have to stay here for the time being until the medics have discovered what went wrong with the failed experiment." a servant stated wearily. Sasuke tilted his head slightly toward the servant, letting him know that he heard him and that he is dismissed. The servant nodded and clumsily ran away. Sasuke grunted in disgust and went to the room he stayed in when he was in this lair. They always kept it clean and not used while he was staying at different lairs.

Sasuke unlocked the door to his room and threw the door open. He was angry, he didn't want to wait here and be the messenger. It was a complete waste of time, he was training under Orochimaru for power; and that fucking snake had him doing stupid tasks! He walked heavily to his bed - because you know, Uchiha's don't stomp - and lied down. He decided a nap would help him.

**xXxSasuSakuxXx**

"Naruto shut the hell up!" Sakura finally shouted. They had been walking all day, she was tired, hungry, and irritable and did not need Naruto complaining about his ramen.

"Sorry, Sakura..." Naruto apologized, pouting slightly. Sakura sighed and tried to ignore Naruto's puppy dog eyes.

"Kakashi-sensei, maybe we should stop here and set up camp," she said.

"I agree. Okay, everyone will be doing something to speed this process up. Sai, you set up the tents; Yamato, you go catch some fish; Sakura, you go get some water; and Naruto and I will scout the area, alright?"

Everyone muttered a 'yes' - except for Naruto who loudly said so - and went to do their job.

While Sakura walked back from the small river, she concentrated on keeping her balance on these roots and rocks. Sakura wasn't clumsy, but she wasn't graceful. And right now she was _really _tired. She filled everyone's canteen.

When she arrived back at the camp she only saw Sai there, and ignored him completely when she was returning canteens. She did thank him for setting up her tent though.

She went in her bag and retrieved her pajamas. She went behind a tree and quickly changed. She threw her dirty clothes in her bag and jumped in her tent, zipping it up as she went in. Sakura cuddled in her sleeping bag hoping desperately to fall asleep quickly. Apparently, someone was listening to her and she fell asleep in a matter of five minutes and was whisked away to blissful dreams about Sasuke Uchiha.

* * *

And cut! Who loved it?! I did! Review pretty pweez! (:


	4. Chapter 4

**And here is another chapter dedicated to all my lovely reviewers. My other story, Changes, has been a hit. I'm surprised. But I'm taking a little break from that. So here you go!**

**Disclaimer: I still have Deidara, but the other characters Masashi has taken back. **

**Chapter 4**

They were almost there. Sakura was anxious. What if they wouldn't accept her? What if they _did _accept her?__

_**Then you do what Tsunade assigned us to do, find out Orochimaru's plans for Konoha. **_Her ever helpful inner said.

_That's easier said then done, _she responded.

"Be careful, Sakura-chan." Naruto told her softly. Sakura rolled her eyes but smiled nonetheless.

"Naruto, I'm a big girl. You don't have to worry about me," Naruto sighed.

"I know, I know. But I still want you to be careful. And if you run into the bastard, give him a good black eye for me. M'kay?" Sakura laughed.

"Will do, Naruto. Will do."

"Alright you two, it's time to say goodbye. You have to have to start acting the part of a power obsessed ninja," Kakashi said to Sakura. He then turned to Naruto, "And we have to position ourselves." Naruto looked at her with sad eyes.

"Keep safe, Sakura," Sakura almost cried, this was heartbreaking. Who knew if she would see them again?

"You too," they hugged and she turned to Kakashi. His lone eye softened. She gave her father figure a hug.

"Take care of yourself in there, and don't forget to meet up with us at least once a week. If you can, we have to know you're safe." he whispered. Sakura nodded, her face still pressed into his chest. She took a step back.

"All right you guys, you have to go." she demanded. They nodded and jumped away, leaving Sakura behind.

"Okay, time to go." she murmured to herself. The base was underground and she had to find the entrance. If they asked her how she found it, she was supposed to say that she heard rumors that there were people that could help her gain more power and was looking around for them. That was partially true. Mostly Sakura was going to have to make up excuses on the spot. She hated being under pressure, but she could make up some excuses. That would hopefully make sense.

She took of her leaf headband and stashed it in her kunai pouch. She was at the spot now, and all she had to do was find the entrance. There was a huge rock in the middle of the clearing. It looked promising. She ran to it, running her hands over the smooth surface. She didn't feel any creases, so she sent her chakra out. Maybe there was a trick and she needed to use chakra to unlock a door or something.

_Click _

A hole in the rock opened and Sakura smirked. That was easier than she thought it would be. Then she suddenly saw arrows shoot from the hole. She squeaked and ducked. Okay, so maybe that wasn't the entrance. And maybe Orochimaru had expected people to immediately go for the giant rock. And maybe there were other traps like that.

Since it was obvious now that the rock was a decoy, she looked for smaller less noticeable things that only a shinobi could pick up on. She carefully walked around the rock.

_I could crush the rock, maybe there's an entrance underneath. _It was destructive, but could possibly work. She pulled out her glove and put it on her left hook. Instead of punching it right away, she just put her index finger on a weak point. Neji had taught her how to channel chakra to the eyes and locate weak points in people, animals, or inanimate objects. Such as a rock.

Sakura took a deep breath and applied a slight amount of chakra. The rock chipped a little bit and she braced herself for an attack; nothing came. She felt instant relief when she applied more and the portion of the rock her finger was on crumpled at her feet. Still nothing came.

She smiled and channeled the chakra to her left hand, she'd take a chance and punch it.

Blocking out her survival instincts about booby traps, she punched the rock with all her might. Little pieces of jagged rock flew all around her, instinctively she put her arms in front of her face.

When everything was calm again, she put her arms down. There was nothing. Just a patch of grass. But not everything can be seen.

She stood in the middle were the boulder was, and sent out more chakra. Nothing. Talk about anticlimactic.

With a growl of frustration, she picked up a little rock and threw it at a tree and stomped on the ground.

_Finding this damn entrance is going to take- _The ground beneath her vanished and she could feel gravity catching up to her. She screamed against her better judgment. She was falling down a tunnel of sorts, another trap. Or the entrance.

Sakura landed ungracefully on her ass.

"Ow," she rubbed her sore bottom and looked around. She was underground, that much was clear. But was she in another trap or in the lair? She waited to hear the vicious growling of a giant bear or some type of deadly animal that she could be thrown in a trap with, but could hear nothing. She slowly stood and began to walk forward. She walked into a dim lit hallway and felt a little claustrophobic. The fact of knowing you're underground in a badly lit hallway in the enemies liar was a little overwhelming.

Sakura didn't know how long she walked, it felt like hours, or minutes. But she finally reached a door. She strained her ears to make out any sounds coming from the outside but it was still silent. She hesitantly put her hand on the door knob and twisted. When she walked through the door, she was expecting to see ninja's with biceps bigger than their heads to retrain her and demand to know who she was and why she was there. But again there was nothing. Sakura was getting a little tired of this nothingness.

She opened the door to another hallway, but this one was much shorter. She only walked a couple feet when she spotted a door.

**_Let's hope it's not another hallway, _**her inner muttered. Sakura couldn't agree more.

_Bam!_

Sakura felt the wind being knocked out of her. She was just about to reach for the door handle when she was body slammed into the wall.

"Who are you?" a menacing voice whispered in her ear. Her back was to him and she strained her head to the side to see his face. It was useless, the hallway was dark.

"Sa-Sakura Haruno." she wheezed out. His grip loosened a little and she was able to breath again.

"Sakura Haruno, heh? The Hokage's apprentice? Why are you here?"

"I came to Orochimaru for more power," she said. He snorted.

"What would a goody-goody leaf kunoichi want more power from Orochimaru for?" he sneered.

"Revenge." she stated. Wrong choice, she didn't want revenge on anyone! It was one of those times she cursed her big fat mouth that seemed to have a mind of its own.

"Revenge on whom?" he was annoying her with his incessant questions. Okay, time to get this loser off her. She elbowed him in the stomach and he doubled over in pain. She hopped off the wall and got into a fighting stance. He glared at her.

"You little bitch, you'll pay for this!" he declared. He lunged at her and Sakura dodged the pathetic punch. He must be just a guard ordered to tell a higher authority if there was an intruder, Sakura guessed. He was horrible at battle.

After about five minutes of Sakura dodging his useless punches and kicks, she decided to end this. She appeared behind him and knocked him unconscious.

_He should be out for a couple hours._ She thought.

Sakura opened the door and was happy to see that she was finally in an appropriate lit area. She'd always hated the dark.

She sensed a lot of different - evil - chakra signatures. How could she convince them that she really wanted power? Maybe she could release some information about Konoha. Not real important facts, the stuff that didn't mean anything. Like the Hokage's birthday.

Or she could give them vital information, fake vital information. She could tell them that once a year every year on October sixth all shinobi's would celebrate life and they all went to the bar and got ridiculously drunk. Yeah, something like that. Then maybe they'd trust her and she could find out a way to tell Naruto and the rest about it and they could get ready for an attack that day.

She'd have to think of a better excuse than that though. She'd still keep the date, since it was August and Konoha would have time to prepare for an attack by then. But what would she say?

That they were mourning a death?

Oh!

She could say that Naruto had been killed on a mission and that was the funeral! It was perfect! And they'd definitely attack because Naruto wouldn't be there! And that the people who killed Naruto were the people she wanted revenge on! Perfect!

She could feel them approaching. They were two men.

"Who are you?" a short heavyset man asked.

"Sakura Haruno. I came to ask Orochimaru for power for my revenge," she responded calmly. The tall skinny one raised a brow.

"And what makes you so sure that Orochimaru wants to train you?"

"Because I've been trained by the sannin herself, Tsunade. She taught me everything she knew, and she's the Hokage. I know all of Konoha's secrets. If Orochimaru will help me gain power, I might feel obligated to share that information." she explained.

"What kind of info?"

"Info about the village dates, when the kage's will meet, the date of Naruto Uzumaki's death..." she trailed off. Their eyes widened just as she expected them to at the mention of Naruto's death.

"Naruto Uzumaki died?"

"Yes, his funeral is on October sixth, and I plan to avenge his death." she clarified. They looked shocked.

"Ugh, well, Orochimaru is not at this base. We'll have to send out a person to inform him of this, and ask him of you. For right now, you will be under surveillance at all times. We will escort you to your room." they began walking away, Sakura guessed she was supposed to follow. They didn't pass a lot of people, and when they did, they gave Sakura a nasty glare. Sakura promptly ignored them and focused on her plans.

They wound down another hallway - not very bright ones - and stopped in front of a metal door. The taller man rummaged in his pocket for what Sakura could only assume was the key. He stuck the key in the door handle, and opened the door.

Sakura was expecting some torture chamber, but it was a regular room. With a simple bed in the middle, a nightstand next to it, another door that probably led to a bathroom, and a closet. Sakura was even more surprised that the room wasn't cold, it actually felt pretty good. Warm.

"You can stay in this room for the time being. Remember, we will be watching you." and with that warning, they left. Sakura could hear the lock click. So, they were going to lock her in. Did they not hear her say that she was trained by a sannin that could easily snap their necks? Did they not think she couldn't get out of here?

_**No, they know you can. This is a test. **_

_Hm, didn't think of that. _Sometimes her inner could be so smart.

_**Of course you didn't. **_And other times... she could be a total bitch.

Sakura sighed. She went and inspected her closet. There were clothes of a different sized there. Some for girls, some for guys. She grabbed a baggy brown shirt and black shorts that looked about her size. She must have dropped her bag when she fell in, oh well; they provided some clothes. Then she went to a dresser that she had not noticed when she entered. There were underwear and boxer's in there also. Sakura hoped they were well washed, and grabbed a pair of underwear.

She walked into the bathroom and looked at herself in the mirror. Sakura could see in her eyes her exhaustion. Strange. She didn't even feel tired. Must be the adrenalin.

She turned on the water to hot, deciding a nice long shower would do her some good. When the water was nice and warm, she stepped in and let the water sooth her tense muscles. She grabbed some shampoo and lathered it in her hair, deciding she loved showers.

She brushed her hair with a comb also supplied, and opened a travel toothbrush that was in the bathroom. The bathroom was well stocked, they even had pads and tampons. Sakura changed into her shirt and shorts and collapsed on the bed, her exhaustion finally catching up with her. The bed was soft too.

Sakura didn't dream that night, but fell into a deep sleep.

* * *

Longer than usual huh? You deserve it, I always make you guys wait to long. Review!


	5. Chapter 5

**There will be some Sasuke and Sakura action in this one! I bet you guys were becoming impatient with the interactions, or lack there of. So, I've put some in here. Oh, and won't Karin just die already? I can't believe she's still alive. Stupid bitch... Yes! Sakura made it! She's facing Sasuke! Kick his ass girl, but don't kill him!  
**

**Disclaimer: Trust me, you'd know if I owned Naruto...**

**Chapter 5**

"Get up!" Sakura found herself being shaken violently and screamed at. She groaned and turned to the other side, only to have the blankets be ripped off from on top of her.

"I said get up!" the bastard shouted again. Sakura gave him the best glare she could in her sleep induced state.

"What, no megaphone?" she muttered as she got up, deciding her glare wasn't about to scare him off. She stretched and sighed in content when her back popped. She lazily turned to the man in her room.

"What are you doing in here?" she asked irritably.

"It was my job to come in here and wake you up. Lord Orochimaru is coming today, so get dressed and I'll take you to where you meet him." he informed her. Sakura snorted.

"I thought _Lord_ Orochimaru would get slower in his old age, I can't believe he made it here that quickly." she said as she walked to the closet to pick out an outfit. She could hear him sputter in shock.

"Lord Orochimaru is a sannin, the greatest ninja alive!" he shouted indignantly. She bit back a laugh.

"Oh, my bad." when she found her raggedy outfit for the day, she walked into the bathroom without giving the man a backwards glance. How could they think so highly of someone like Orochimaru? It's sickening. He tortures people and kills for no reason and is the definition of evil! But if Sakura were to survive in this hellhole, she'd have to change her attitude. She could only guess that Sasuke got away with sassing him, and while Sakura wouldn't go as far as sassing, she wouldn't be like these lowlifes and call him _Lord _Orochimaru. She didn't even have to agree with him, as long as he thought she was truly there for power.

While Sakura was brushing her teeth, she almost choked. She was forgetting one small detail; what if Orochimaru gave her the curse mark? Would she eventually really become evil like Sasuke? Sakura forced herself not to think about it, she was still choking and the guy in her room might think she hung herself if she didn't stop. She spit out the toothpaste and turned on the water to warm. She grabbed a paper cup from the counter and filled it with water, she gurgled and spit the remnants of the toothpaste into the sink.

Sakura took one quick look in the mirror. She was wearing a maroon - the closest she could get to red - slightly big t-shirt that hung loosely around her frame, and her shorts that she wore underneath her skirt. Her hair was up in a messy ponytail, the loose strands in a wild awry. She had bags under her eyes and she looked like crap, to put it simply. Oh well, who was she trying to impress? She was just meeting Orochimaru, not a prince.

With a sigh, she left the bathroom.

"Finally, follow me," he commanded gruffly. Sakura ignored what he said and followed him out the door. Again Sakura got nasty glares, but she didn't ignore them this time, she gave them death glares. They cowered and she smirked. They continued down the damn dim hallways until they stopped at two huge metal doors. Sakura's heart was pounding furiously in her chest, and Sakura panicked even more thinking it would jump out. She almost went into cardiac arrest when he opened the door on the left.

_This is it, try to keep a straight face and make him believe you! _she encouraged herself, since her inner wasn't helping. When the door was fully opened, she fell over.

It was a cafeteria! There were shinoibi's and some kunoichi's chatting and eating lunch, having no idea Sakura was scared to death just a minute ago because she thought this was meeting Orochimaru.

"I thought I was supposed to meet Orochimaru!" she hissed. He looked down at her.

"Lord Orochimaru hasn't arrived yet, and aren't you hungry?" he questioned. Sakura blinked, finally registering that fact that yes indeed she was hungry. Starving. Her stomach rumbled and growled at her, and she put her hand on it to calm it down.

"Yeah." she walked off, to a food line near the end of the room, ignoring the questioning stares. The line seemed much smaller from the doors, but it was eventually Sakura's turn. She grimaced at the food and grabbed a big red apple and a bottle of water. That looked like the only edible food there. She walked to an empty table and sat on the faded bleacher connected to it.

_This place isn't as bad as I thought, it's still horrible and doesn't even come close to comparing to Konoha, but I didn't expect to have a room with clothes and toiletries and I certainly didn't expect to be fed, and they have a cafeteria like the one at the hospital, almost the same foods too. _she thought as she bit into her apple.

She was so caught up in her thoughts that she didn't notice someone walk in. And that someone was Sasuke Uchiha, the all mighty sharingan warrior. But the only thing he was known for was defecting from Konoha.

Since Sasuke was Orochimaru's sole apprentice, he got treated like a king. Almost as good as Orochimaru. He got better food, softer beds, bigger showers, the whole enchilada. Not that he was complaining, but it got a little annoying. Okay, he was complaining. But Sasuke was a loner, he preferred to do things for himself and to be by himself. And these people had a very hard time understanding that.

So he got in the line like a regular shinoibi here and when it was his turn, he ignored the huge dishes servants were shoving in his face and took some rice and a milk. He headed for his table. Only to find someone sitting at it. Someone with pink hair.

_Sakura...?_

Sasuke froze, what was Sakura doing here? This was not the place for her, sweet, innocent Sakura...

_Except she's not innocent, you know that. _Some part of him whispered. That might be true, but it was still not a place for her. His feet started moving on their own accord, despite his orders to turn around now.

He was now right behind her, and his mouth formed her name.

"Nnn." was all that came out. Oh God, Sasuke Uchiha basically just stuttered. Sakura turned around and froze, just as he had.

"Sasuke-kun..." Sasuke just stared at her. Sakura felt a strong wave of deja vu. This had happened not even a week ago, except it was just her and him. At a different lair.

"Sakura, what are you doing here?" he asked blandly.

"I - "

"Kunoichi! We have to go meet Lord Orochimaru!" the man who brought her here yelled from the door across the room. Sakura turned to glare at him.

"I have a name!" she shouted, but got up and threw her stuff away. She turned to Sasuke.

"I have to go talk with Orochimaru," she informed him even though he heard the man. Sasuke nodded mutely.

Sakura quickly hurried out the door, and Sasuke trailed behind, deciding to follow.

The man led Sakura - and Sasuke - to another place with huge doors. This time Sakura knew where she was going and still felt as if she was going into cardiac arrest. When they entered, Orochimaru was sitting on a large chair up against a wall and Kabuto was standing right next to him. Sakura pushed down her anger about how they can sit there so calmly, getting mad wouldn't help her. She put on her blank mask.

"So Sakura-chan," Orochimaru smiled sickly sweet, "I hear you want to join my little... organization, shall we say," Sakura nodded, not trusting her voice.

"Well, may I ask why?"

"For revenge." she said bluntly. Sasuke, who had been leaning against the wall with a bored expression this whole time, blinked in shock. Who did Sakura want revenge on? Orochimaru seemed amused by this.

"Revenge on whom my dear?" Sakura bit back a retort that she was sure would get her killed.

"I do not know their names, but I know their appearances and that they are from Mist." she clarified. That was one of those ones she had to make up on the spot, Sakura was glad it at least made sense.

"Why?" Orochimaru inquired. He seemed truly curious, not suspicious. At least Sakura hoped he wasn't suspicious.

"Because they killed Naruto." she could almost taste their shock. Sasuke had to bite his lip to prevent a gasp. He had just seen them not to long ago, he could feel his heart throbbing in pain, though he denied it. He didn't care that Naruto - his _best _friend - had been killed, at least, that's what he told himself.

"When did this happen?" Orochimaru demanded, his sick sense of humor forgotten about.

"When we were traveling back to Konoha after infiltrating your other base," Sasuke felt sick, it was all his fault. If he hadn't defected the village, they wouldn't have been sent on that mission, and Naruto wouldn't have died and...

_And you can't change the past. You could have prevented it, but you didn't, and you cannot undo the past. _Another part of him whispered. Sasuke was getting annoyed at those stupid voices, he was going crazy. Orochimaru seemed to have gotten over his shock already, and now was back to his usual self.

"Really well, why should I take you under my wing?"

"Because I was trained by Tsunade, in the medical field and in strength. And she is the hokage, I know a lot about the village."

"I don't care about the village really," Sakura panicked, they didn't care about the stuff she could lie about. What was she going to say to get them to accept her?

"But if that's all you really have to offer, then - " in her panic, Sakura said the first thing that came to mind.

"I'll - I'll heal your arms!" she blurted out.

* * *

You are very stupid Sakura, proposing to heal his arms! How could you?!

Sakura - You made me!

So, you didn't have to agree.

Review!


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